Sealed package



H. E. STOVER SEALED PACKAGE Dec. .24, 1957 Filed Aug. 5. 1

Fig. 3

IN V EN TOR. Harry E. Sla ver 77 BY A TTOR/VEY United States PatentSEALED PACKAGE Harry E. Stover, Lancaster, Ohio, assignor to AnchorHocking Glass Corporation, Lancaster, Uhio, a corporation of DelawareApplication August 5, 1952, Serial No. 302,713

3 Claims. (Cl. 215-40) The present invention relates to the sealing artand more particularly to a sealed package for various products whichrequire hermetic seals.

The package has been particularly useful in sealing ketchup. Thepreferred embodiment, therefore, of the invention will be illustratedand described with particular reference to ketchup, it being understoodthat the invention is applicable to the sealing of other products aswell.

Some years back two closures were used for sealing a single bottle ofketchup, one to provide a hermetic seal for it and the other to providea cover cap for use as a cover during consumption. The two closuresformerly used have been superseded by a single closure adapted to serveas a hermetic seal until opened and as a cover during consumption. Therequirement for a closure for this purpose is a secure hermetic sealduring shipment and during sale by stores. The closure should be easilyapplied and easily removed and adapted to serve as a reseal duringconsumption of the product. While at formal functions ketchup is servedin proper dishes, in a great majority of cases ketchup is served fromthe bottle in which it is packed. In order for the closure to be easilygripped in removal and application, a long skirt is usually provided. Inthe closures now generally used, the gasket for sealing the closure onthe neck of the container is provided at the bottom of the skirt orflange of the closure with no hermetic seal at the top. Such closuresare objectionable in that they are difficult to remove. The closure doesnot form a seal at the rim of the container and hence ketchup duringshipment contacts the cover of the cap and the inside of the cap abovethe gasket. Ketchup is the type of product that attacks metal and hencethere is a tendency for the product to pinhole or otherwise perforatethe metal, thus impairing the seal. Further, when the cap is removedfrom the bottle, the ketchup extending about the inside of the cap incontact with the metal quickly forms a black substance when exposed toair that is quite unsightly. Frequently the top of the bottle and theinside of the closure become so unsightly that the package is thrownaway before the contents are consumed.

, i The present invention overcomes the above difficulties by providinga seal at the rim of the container and by protecting the underside ofthe cover from the ketchup. The seal at the rim of the container alsoprotects the inside of the skirt of the cap against contact with theketchup during shipment. When the closure is removed, the ketchuphas notcontacted the metal of the closure and hence is in excellent condition.Contact with air is less likely to form the black material soobjectionable to the consumer. In fact, the gasket protects asubstantial part of the skirt of the cap against contact with theketchup. The closure forms an improved seal in that the vacuum withinthe container tends to pull to the cap down on the rim of the container,forming a seal there, whereas the finish provided embeds itself in thegasket at the side thereof to form a second seal and to securely holdthe closure on the container even in those cases where the seal at therim of the container fails. The closure may be easily removed and usedboth as a cover and as a re-seal during consumption. The finish of thecontainer, in addition to providing an improved seal, also guides theclosure into accurate sealing position and avoids tilting, regardless ofhow carelessly the closure is applied.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved closure forhermetic seals.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sealed packageembodying a hermetic seal.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofmaking the closure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a good cover which willre-seal during consumption and which prevents or minimizes discolorationof the product about the mouth of the container.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure which may beeasily applied and easily removed.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the cost of the closure andat the same time to improve its efiiciency and effectiveness.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings,forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view partly in section of the cap and neckof a container primarily designed for packing ketchup;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the sealing relationbetween the parts of the glass finish and the closure;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through one side of theclosure and the co-operating glass finish;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the method of making the closurewith the forming member about to engage the gasket blank; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the method of making theclosure, and is similar to the illustration in Fig. 4 with the formingmember in its final position showing the gasket completely formed in theclosure.

Referring again to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and3 thereof, a cap or closure, sometimes called a closure cap, is showngenerally at 10. A container is indicated generally at 11 with a glassfinish indicated generally at 12.

The closure comprises a cover portion 14 having a depending skirt 15with an outturned edge in the form of a wire edge 16 at the bottomthereof. An inwardly extending annular bead 17 is formed about the skirtat a substantial distance from the cover part. A suitable gasket 18 isprovided in the closure and preferably extends from the upper side ofthe bead 17 to the cover portion 14 of the cap and entirely across theunderside of the cover portion. Preferably the gasket is molded inposition, as will be described hereinafter, and securely bonded to theinside of the closure.

The lower part of the gasket is tapered as shown at 19, the taperextending preferably from the upper side of the bead 17 to a zone wellbelow the underside of the top of the gasket. The portion of the gasketabovethe taper 19 is relatively thick preferably about .06", in aketchup cap. Likewise the portion of the gasket directly above the rimof the container is relatively thick also preferably about 3 .03" in aketchup cap. The central portion of the gasket on the underside of thecover as shown at may be relatively thin, about .01" for example, sinceits function is primarily to protect the metal of the closure from thecontents of the package.

While any shape of bottle may be utilized, the preferred embodiment isin the form of a ketchup bottle which, of course, has a relativelynarrow neck. The glass finish 12 has the usual rim 21 encircling themouth of the bottle. Preferably an annular enlargement or overhang 22 isrovided at the edge of the rim and adapted to embed itself into the sideof the gasket to improve the seal formed. While the enlargement may varyin size an overhang of .005 gives good results. A cylindrical portion'24 extends downwardly from the annular enlargement 22 for a distancebelow the bead 17 on the closure. An outwardly tapered zone 25 leads toan enlarged zone 26. Preferably the enlarged zone 26 is slightly smallerthan the internal diameter of the closure and co-operates with thetapered zone 25 to guide the cap into position so that it seats properlyon the rim of the container. The enlargement 26 prevents the cap fromcocking and insures a uniform seal. Preferably a reduced neck zone 27 isprovided below the enlarged portion 26 and terminates just above anenlarged shoulder 28. The reduced zone 27 and the enlarged shoulder 28permit the insertion of a coin or other instrument between the shoulderand the bottom of the closure for prying the cap off the container.

The closure may be readily applied to the container since the skirt ofthe cap is considerably larger than the upper end of the container. Asthe cap is placed on the container, the lower edge of the ca will rideover the tapered zone 25 and the enlarged zone 26 so that the cap willbe seated on the container in a substantially horizontal position priorto the sealing operation. In addition, the tapered portion 19 at thelower edge of the gasket will likewise center the upper end of the capso that it will be in registry with the mouth of the container. When theca passes through a sealing machine where pressure is applied to the topof the cap for forcing it on the container, the closure will be inaccurate position so that a uniform and effective seal is secured. Theenlargement 22 on the glass finish embeds itself into the depending partof the gasket. This, of course, improves the effectiveness of the seal.In addition, it tends to hold the closure on the container. Ketchup andmany other products are sealed with a vacuum in the package and whilethe vacuum tends to hold the closure on the container, failure of theseal impairs the vacuum and hence the closure may come off under suchcontingencies. In the present instance, the enlargement 22 will hold theclosure on regardless of whether or not there is a vacuum within thecontainer. In addition, the enlargement does not impair in any way theeffectiveness of the seal between the rim of the container and thegasket on the inside of the cover of the cap. In fact, the enlargementenhances this seal because again it tends to hold the cap downregardless of pressure or vacuum within the container. The gasket tendsto set about the enlargement. When the cap is removed by the consumer arecess has been formed in the gasket by the enlargement. In rescalingthe cap on the container the enlargement snaps into the recess and holdsthe cap securely in position.

The cap may be easily removed, which is an important feature of anyclosure, by the application of a coin or instrument between the shoulder28 and the lower edge 16 of the closure. While the enlargement 22 on theglass finish tends to hold the cap in position, it is located near therim of the container and the tapered part 19 of the gasket terminatesslightly below the enlargement so that the cap may be easily tiltedsufficiently for the gasket to clear the enlargement.

In the manufacture of the closure, the usual blank may be stamped withthe lower edge of the blank extending 4 outwardly in a horizontalflange. Thereafter the flange may be rolled into the wire edge 16 andsimultaneously the bead 17 may be rolled into the skirt of the cap. Ablank or slug of sealing material, indicated in Fig. 4, is placed in thecap either before or after the cap is seated in the nesting die 33. Amember 29 is forced into the closure to mold the gasket in position.Preferably the member 29 has an end part 30 adapted to form the thinportion of the gasket at the center of the cover with an annular channeladjacent the edge adapted to form the thick portion 20 of the gasket andwith a reduced portion 31 leading to an outwardly tapered part 32adapted to form the part of the gasket adhered to the skirt of the cap.Preferably the external diameter of the member 29 is substantially thesame as the internal diameter of the bead 17 of the closure. The shapeof the member 29 tends to center the closure about it. The bead 17serves as a gate to stop the flow of the gasket composition. In this waya perfect gasket is formed having the shape shown in the drawings. Therelation of the gasket and the pressure member is shown at the finish ofthe molding operation in Fig. 5. Sufficient pressure is used to forcethe blank to flow about the forming member. As pressure of 5,000 lbs.applied to the member 29 produces excellent results with the usual 27mm. (about 1.07" diameter) cap used for ketchup. To facilitate themolding and bonding both the inner member 29 and outer nesting die 33are maintained at the temperature of about 240 to 250 F. which heats theclosure and gasket material to about 200 F. during the moldingoperation. This combined pressure and heat cause the gasket material toflow about the end of the member and to bond itself firmly to theclosure. The gasket is thus held rigidly in position, which facilitatesboth application and removal of the closure. In addition, the undersideof the closure is completely protected against the contents of thecontainer during shipment and storage and all but the lower part of theskirt continues to be protected during consumption. Preferably thegasket compound is not cured after the molding operation as theplasticity in the uncured compound gives a better seal. Where a curedgasket is desired, the caps may be passed through an oven to cure orvulcanize the compound.

While various compositions may be utilized for the material of thegasket, those illustrated in the application of Harold L. Crabtree,Serial No. 294,197, filed June 18, 1952, have been found to giveexcellent results. On the other hand, various compositions of rubber andvarious synthetic stocks may be utilized for this purpose providing itcan be molded as described herein.

It will be seen that an improved closure has been provided which gives asecure seal at all times regardless of whether or not the product issealed under a vacuum. The closure may be easily applied and since itcenters itself on the container, a uniform seal results in all cases.The closure may be readily removed since the enlargement on thecontainer, holding the closure in place, is at the rim of the containerso that the cap can be tilted to make the gasket clear the enlargement.Pressure on the bottom of the cap gives sufficient leverage so that inmany cases the closure may be removed manually without the use of tools.The cost has been reduced in that a single closure forms the seal and inthat a single gasket is molded in position, eliminating the usualassembly and gasket molding operations where separate gaskets areutilized. The package is rugged in construction and fully capable ofwithstanding the rough usage to which it may be subjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a sealed package, the combination of a relatively deep metalcuplike shell having a circular cover portion and a dependingcylindrical skirt extending downwardly for at least the length of onecover radius, an annular bead projecting inwardly from the skirt andspaced a substantial distance from the upper and lower edges of saidskirt, a generally cup-shaped gasket bonded to said closure having anedge portion abutting said annular bead and extending upwardly to thecover and having an integral cover portion extending across theunderside of the closure, said edge portion of said gasket being flaredinwardly and upwardly from said annular bead to facilitate theapplication to and removal of the closure from a container and toprovide a side seal on the container mouth and said cover portion of thegasket adjacent to the edge portion being thicker for providing a sealover the rim of a container, a glass container having a neck portionfitting within said closure, and said container having a rim embedded inthe side and top portions of said gasket and forming a hermetic seal andholding the closure on the container and having an annular enlarged zonespaced downwardly from said rim but above the bottom of the closureskirt for guiding the closure into proper position on the container.

2. A closure comprising the combination of a relatively deep metalcuplike shell having a circular cover portion and a dependingcylindrical skirt extending downwardly about the length of one coverradius or more, an annular bead projecting inwardly from the skirt andspaced a substantial distance from the upper and lower edges of saidskirt, a generally cup-shaped gasket bonded to said closure having anedge portion abutting said annular bead and extending upwardly to thecover and having an integral cover portion extending across theunderside of the closure cover, said edge portion of said gasket beingflared inwardly and upwardly to a thickened cylindrical portion adjacentto the top edge of the skirt, said flared portion of the gasket beingadapted to facilitate the application to and removal of the closure froma container and said cylindrical portion adapted to provide a side sealwith an enlargement on the container mouth, said gasket being formed ofa plastic material whereby an enlargement on the container mouth forms agroove therein to retain the closure in place on the container and tofacilitate the reapplication of the closure after its initial removal,and said cover portion of the gasket adjacent to the edge portion beingrelatively thick to provide a seal over the rim of a container.

3. In a sealed package, the combination of a relatively deep metalcuplike shell having a circular cover portion and a dependingcylindrical skirt extending downwardly for at least the length of onecover radius, a generally cup-shaped gasket bonded to said closurehaving a portion on said skirt with its lower edge a substantialdistance from the upper and lower edges of said skirt and extendingupwardly to the cover and having an integral cover portion extendingacross the underside of the closure, said portion of said gasket on saidskirt being flared inwardly and upwardly from its lower edge tofacilitate the application to and removal of the closure from acontainer and to provide a side seal on the container mouth and saidcover portion of the gasket adjacent to the edge portion being thickerfor providing a seal over the rim of a container, a glass containerhaving a neck portion fitting within said closure, and said containerhaving a rim embedded in the side and top portions of said gasket andforming a hermetic seal and holding the closure on the container andhaving an annular enlarged zone spaced downwardly from said rim butabove the bottom of the closure skirt for guiding the closure intoproper position on the container.

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